Book review: All our welfare: towards participatory socialpolicy by Peter Beresford

As the UK welfare state comes under increased pressure, in All Our Welfare: Towards Participatory Social Policy, Peter Beresford offers a critique of its past, present and future from a participatory perspective. Drawing upon personal experience and the theories of welfare service user movements, Beresford outlines the limitations of past approaches and explores ways in which service user ideas and experiences can serve the development of a sustainable and participatory social policy. Although wishing for a more detailed vision of how the welfare state can become user-led, Ashwin Desai finds this a timely and thought-provoking read.